Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century

Wrigley started his own business in 1892, which primarily produced soap and baking powder, but also chewing gum. Not long after his business opened, Wrigley realized the chewing gum was his most popular item and decided to market it more heavily. In order to popularize the gum, he invested heavily in eccentric advertising schemes as well as in the creation of new flavors, most notably the Spearmint flavor. Though sales were initially slow, the product soon became very popular in the United States, and later spread around the world, as Wrigley advertised in some 30 languages.